BLUE WATER HOTEL, WADDUWA, view of the main court, 1996, Photograph by David Robson.

The architect Geoffrey Bawa, who died last year after a long illness, could plausibly lay claim to being the world's most famous Sri Lankan. Even to those unfamiliar with his name, his style of architecture has become instantly recognizable. His trademarks: sensitivity to location, the importance of context, minimal environmental disruption and the avoidance of gratuitous decoration, have become part…